Tag: hope
-
Promises Get Us Through the Day
When God says something, do we believe it? I don’t mean when He declares right and wrong. I hope that we would say of course we believe Him there. I am talking about believing what He says that He will do in us. Do we believe it? Peter says, “2Grace and peace be multiplied to…
-
How Can I Have Courage?
Fear does crazy things to us. It changes how we look at the world around us. It’s like we develop tunnel vision. We only see two things: the thing we fear and a means of escape. We lose sight of our strengths. We forget if we have a reason to not be afraid. It’s time…
-
The Reality of Heaven
Last Sunday I preached about what the Bible says about Hell. It is a heart wrenching topic. To balance that heavy subject, this week I want to think about Heaven. The great struggle in modern Christianity is that both of these great teachings of the Bible are minimized in our pulpits. We need to embrace…
-
Do All Things… Through Christ
Who doesn’t love hearing a secret? I am not talking about gossip. Gossip is gross. But, there is something about secrets. Book writers use that in their titles all the time: “The Secret to a Happy Life” “The Secret to Successful Investing” “The Secret Life of Pets”. Paul said that he had learned a secret.…
-
The Myth of Security (Part 1)
Storms. Here in central Iowa we have had plenty of them lately. It doesn’t matter if it is wind, rain, hail, or flood waters, they all surprise us with their power. It doesn’t even really matter how often it happens, we are consistently taken aback by how powerful nature can be. It reminds me that…
-
An Unexpected Protection
When I think of my mistakes I have a recurring question: How can I make it right? In my quest to right the wrongs of my own making, I have discovered there is a difference between acknowledging wrongs and constantly living under the crushing weight of guilt. The difference is grace. Here’s a newsflash…
-
Fear & Hope
Fear is all around us. We watch scary movies. We are afraid because of terrorists, diseases, and natural disasters. We are afraid for our children, our parents, ourselves. So when we read in the Scriptures to not be afraid, it can appear to be a pipe dream. What is this power that God seems to…
-
The Gift of Hope
This happens to us every Christmas. Invariably we accidentally leave a present unopened under the tree. It is behind the trunk. The rug we put down to catch the needles is partially covering it. How fun it is to find the gift hours after the official opening time! We say it is the Christmas that…
-
Worried about what to say… don’t be
Luke 12:11 “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” We all do it. We have an important meeting…
-
An Aside… What Do I Do about Mr. Trump?
Romans 13: 1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 1 Timothy 2: 1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2…
Pastor John D Jakes 